RSC break for amateur cast

Published: 28 June 2015
Reporter: David Upton

Amateur cast members for the RSC's Midsummer Night's Dream

Six amateur actors from Poulton-le-Fylde on the Lancashire coast have been cast in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s forthcoming production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Part of amateur theatre group Poulton Drama, they will play the roles of the Mechanicals when the production visits Blackpool’s Grand Theatre from April 5-9.

Some of Shakespeare’s best loved characters, the Mechanicals (including the iconic role of Bottom the Weaver) are an under-prepared yet loveable bunch of craftsmen and women who put themselves forward to entertain royalty at the end of the play.

The actors from the award-winning Poulton Drama are no strangers to the stage, having over 100 years of acting experience between them.

They will perform alongside a cast of 18 professional actors and a professional creative team, led by RSC deputy artistic director Erica Whyman. Initially, the amateur actors will rehearse in Blackpool with their own amateur director, Tony Stone, also of Poulton Drama. They will then rehearse with the RSC team from January.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Play for the Nation will visit 12 theatres in each region and nation of the UK between February and June, and will involve 14 different amateur theatre companies.

In each theatre, local school children will also take part as Titania’s fairy train.

Whyman said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be directing A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Play For the Nation as part of the RSC’s plans to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in 2016.

"In every single region, the cast we have chosen has a distinctive voice and a strong sense of connection to the place where they will perform. I think it will be a real treat for audiences everywhere to see Shakespeare’s most magical play with a properly local flavour.

“Poulton Drama has grasped this opportunity with dedication and thoughtfulness, delivering an exceptional final audition. We are very excited about where this company could go, already performing the scenes with impressive clarity and verve.

"A hardworking group with an endearing humility, they are perfect casting for The Mechanicals. They are people for whom theatre is evidently a life-affirming joy.”

The BBC will be capturing all of the action in a programme tentatively titled The Best Bottoms In the Land, which will follow the RSC’s journey as they put on the production.

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